


A Soul for a Soul

by culliganio



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Alternate Universe - Avengers, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Guardians of the Galaxy, Alternate Universe - Infinity War, Alternate Universe - Marvel Comics, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, GUNDHAM ISN'T PURPLE, Gamora Soda Kazuichi, Heavy Angst, M/M, Past Relationship(s), Sad with a Happy Ending, Soda Kazuichi needs a hug, Thanos Tanaka Gundham, they aren't related they're just past lovers you heathens
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-03
Updated: 2019-11-03
Packaged: 2021-01-22 12:27:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21302048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/culliganio/pseuds/culliganio
Summary: Gundham, aka Thanos, and Kazuichi go to Vormir to get the Soul Stone, but when Gundham discovers that he must lose the thing that means most to him to obtain it, he rethinks whether or not killing half of the universe’s population is actually worth it.
Relationships: Soda Kazuichi/Tanaka Gundham
Comments: 4
Kudos: 73





	A Soul for a Soul

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was my pride and joy. I spent four hours writing it. I haven’t written anything in ages, and I take a certain medicine that prevents me from staying awake for very long. Also, I have insomnia. It’s quite ironic. Still, I persevered through the night to write this thing.
> 
> This morning, I was so happy to upload it.
> 
> I write things on my phone in Notes (iPhone). Next, I copy them into Wattpad. Then, I open Wattpad on my computer and copy the text into AO3. I hit select all…and then typed the letter “F”, deleting EVERYTHING. All two thousand to three thousand words. Gone. This morning I cried very hard, and as I’m writing this, I’m still crying. I’m heartbroken that something I worked so hard on was gone just like that.
> 
> I don’t know if this’ll be as good as the first.
> 
> I’m still fucking pissed.
> 
> But now I’m writing this on my laptop and I’m making copies of this once it’s done.
> 
> Please give comments, kudos, and subscribe, because I can tell you right now, this’ll be a bitch to rewrite.
> 
> **Edit: Heyo, it's four months later, and I just spent another four hours on top of the other hour from the day after I deleted it rewriting this XD
> 
> It turned out better in my opinion! Everything happens for a reason, but I'm still a bit salty lol. Anyways, please enjoy!!
> 
> ***
> 
> Warning: this is some sad shit.
> 
> Like really sad shit.
> 
> *I didn’t want to make Gundham as big as Thanos because that would be overkill, so I just made him a bit taller. (He's 6'1''.)

It was when his friends' torturous screams reached their peak that he finally broke. "Vormir!" Kazuichi shouted.

Gundham's fingers padded away at a control panel, turning off the electricity that was paralyzing Kazuichi's crew. He raised an eyebrow. Kazuichi looked down, eyes closing as to shroud the pain his friends were going through. "The stone is on Vormir."

"Kaz, you idiot!" Fuyuhiko yelled, grunting in pain.

"You didn't need to do that!" Hajime winced.

Kazuichi opened his eyes, meeting Hajime's distraught ones. "I had to."

"But—" Ibuki sputtered, but the pinkette cut her off.

"I couldn't let you die."

"Are you _sure _the stone is on Vormir?" the Eternal questioned.

"Yes." Kazuichi nodded.

Gundham glared, taking a step closing to him. "And if you're lying..." His hand reached back towards the control panel, fingers just centimeters away from the activator.

_"No. _You promised you'd let them go if I told you." Kazuichi hissed.

Gundham smilelessly smirked and moved his hand from the panel. "I won't hurt them if you've told me the truth."

"I did." Kazuichi affirmed.

"Then we will be going to Vormir at once, and as for your friends, I can assure you they'll remain here unharmed until I've got the stone. Think of it as insurance."

Gundham led Kazuichi to his ship, and the latter cringed at the sight. Unlike he and his crew's ship, the Milano, Gundham's ship was grand. All of the finest of metal plating adorned its walls (the Milano was pieced together with all sorts of materials found all over the universe). The technology of the ship was incredibly advanced; one could even call it the greatest in the entire galaxy (the Milano's technology was pieced sprocket by sprocket by none other than Kazuichi himself; it definitely wasn't as good as Gundham's, but it was something that made Kazuichi feel at home). _But what he hated most about Gundham's ship was that _he _helped Gundham build it._

They took off in silence. Many places in the galaxy held the same appearance and connotation as Vormir, but none can ever grasp its quintessence. No matter the time of day, month, or year, a lightly-veiled snow plummeted to the ground, molding to the shape of Vormir's mountainous terrain; the higher one trekked, the colder one felt. The sky, bedimmed by thick clouds, blessed itself with a violet hue almost as a warning sign to leave while you still can. But the thing that demarcated Vormir from its copies is the way the air grabs ahold of your soul—literally. No tangible word can describe the feeling, but once you enter Vormir's atmosphere, it's almost as if your soul is being forced out of your body.

"The stone better be up there," Gundham pointed to Vormir's highest mountain, "for your_ crew's_ sake." He spat out the word 'crew' like a curse. 

"It is. I can assure you," Kazuichi guaranteed.

As the two made their way up, Kazuichi felt like a slave, leading a monster to his selfish desires all under blackmail. They continued up the winding steps until they were stopped by a shadow.

"Welcome, Gundham, Son of A'lars; Kazuichi, Son of Taya." said the shadow.

"You know us?" Gundham inquired cautiously.

"It is my curse to know all who journey here." the shadow replied.

"Where is the Soul Stone?" Gundham demanded.

The shadow paused, before answering, "You should know...it extracts a terrible price."

"I am prepared," the Eternal stated matter-of-factly.

"We all think that at first," the shadow countered, making his way closer to reveal a man with flesh as red as blood and the face of a skull. "We are all wrong."

The shadow led them further up the mountain until they reached the mountain's peak, upon which a multitude of pillars in varying sizes stretched up into the bulky, dark clouds. "How is it you know this place so well?" Gundham asked.

"A lifetime ago," the shadow started, "I, too, sought the stones. I even held one in my hand, but it cast me out. Banished me here. Guiding others to a treasure I cannot possess."

As they approached the peak's ledge through the two thickest pillars, Kazuichi's sense of easiness grew—or maybe it was just the feeling of his soul being ripped out of him. "What you seek lies in front of you, as does what you fear."

Gundham and Kazuichi gazed beyond the ledge. Engraved in the flat surface at least four hundred meters below was a perfect circle oddly unscathed by the falling snow. "What's this?" Kazuichi asked the shadow.

"The price," it answered simply. "The Soul holds a special place among the Infinity Stones. You might say it is the certain wisdom..."

"Tell me what it means." the Eternal pressed on.

"To ensure that whoever possesses it understands its power, the Stone demands a sacrifice."

"Of what?"

"In order to take the stone, you must lose that which you love most... A soul for a Soul."

Perhaps the shadow knew those words would cause such emotion from the both of them; Kazuichi betted so, as he had most likely been here for quite some time and no one ever obtained the Soul Stone. His fuchsia hair curtained his face, and after a moment of silence, he let out a laugh. The laugh started out, small, merely above a breathy giggle, and soon escalated into a spiral of maniacal laughter almost as a cartoon show villain would.

"Ever since I left you, I wanted to see the look on your face when you realized

He chuckled his stomach, trying to come down from the high as he said, "Ever since I left you, I wanted to see the look on your face when you realized all that blood spilt—all the pain and suffering you cause people—was for nought." 

He raised his head up to let his hair move from his vision. Gundham faced away from him, frozen where he stood. 

Kazuichi continued, "After all the shit you've done to the universe, you still want something in return. You still want _more. _Well guess what? _No. No more. _This—right here—" He gestured towards the ledge. "—is proof that you've lost. Ha! And you thought you could do it, too. You thought you could ruin everything _just _to appease yourself. Just because _you _think it's right. But you wanna know a little secret, Gundham? Life doesn't revolve around _you. _You wanna know something else, Gundham, since clearly you can't get that through your fucking head? You can't win because you love _nothing. _You never have, and you never will."

While speaking, he stalked closer and closer to the taller man's form, practically yelling up into his ear, yet Gundham didn't move a muscle. It made Kazuichi angry, and he opted to jab his fingers into his back. "Hey! Look at me when I'm talking to you!"

Slowly, Gundham turned, eyes fixated on the ground between him and Kazuichi. Something was different about them, his eyes. They held a different feeling from when they hiked up the mountain. It was almost as if... "Oh my God."

Kazuichi bitterly laughed even more. "You're actually crying? Destroying everyone in the fucking universe but yourself meant _that _much to you?"

"...They're not for him." the shadow spoke up, garnering his attention.

Kazuichi was about to ask why when it hit him. Shock coursed through his veins. His face fell. He looked back at Gundham whose eyes now met his own. Kazuichi searched for something—anything—in them that denied the shadow's accusations. To prove that what he said was fake. The Eternal's eyes held nothing of the sort. Not even a slither.

_"No," _he mumbled, taking a step back only for Gundham to take a step forward. _"No, no, no, no!"_

Every step back was another step forward as he screamed, "You're lying! You never loved me! If you loved me, you would've stopped hurting people! You would've listened to me! You—"

Gundham silenced him with an embrace. He wrapped his arms around Kazuichi, who thrashed against him relentlessly, punching at his chest.. He yelled things like "Liar!" and "Bastard!" and "You don't love me!" until he finally calmed down, the only sounds in the air being the wind and the sobs escaping his lips. His tears stained Gundham's shirt, and Gundham lifted a hand to card his fingers through his ex-lover's hair.

"You'll never believe me," Gundham whispered into his ear, "But I love you too much."

"Then why?" Kazuichi replied, voice cracking beyond recognition. "Why did you continue? Was ending innocent planets' lives more important than me?"

Gundham pushed him back to look him in the eyes. "I had to do what needs to be done."

"But it doesn't." he retorted, pushing himself out of his arms. Gundham let it happen, his own tears falling from his eyes.

Kazuichi wiped his face, sniffling harshly. "If you loved me, you'd stop this. We'd go back home and make things right. You'd put the Stones back and stop this stupid genocide."

Gundham's breath hitched, and his eyes once more met the ground. "I can't do that."

Kazuichi's eyes widened. _No, _he thought. _He's gone._

The Eternal took a step closer, closing the gap as Kazuichi hung his head in defeat. The smaller of the two closed his eyes and bit his lip to contain his sorrow, and Gundham felt too much pity for one living creature to handle. Kazuichi wanted to wake up. He wanted to wake up and be back on the Milano with his friends. To fly all across the galaxies in search of a new adventure. To end up in a life-or-death situation with only his wits to survive. _To be anywhere but here._

Suddenly, an idea struck him. 

_If he wants me to die, then I'll die._

Gundham reached out to console him, and he took that moment to reach for a lone dagger in Gundham's belt. Swiftly, he yanked it free and thrust it into his chest. The pain was deliciously terrible, but at the same time, it was horrifyingly _nonexistent. _Instead of feeling the blade pierce through his internal organs and render him lifeless, he felt nothing. He parted his hands only to see an array of bubbles flitter through his fingers before popping without a trace._ How ironic, _he thought pitifully.

Tears uncontrollably falling, he fell to his knees. Is this what complete and utter helplessness feels like?

"I'm sorry, little one." Gundham murmured. In a fluid movement, Gundham grabbed ahold of Kazuichi's left forearm and made his way back towards the cliff. He kicked, screamed, hit, and cried, but to no avail. His mortal body was no match for a titan's godly strength. 

Each step towards the edge reminded Kazuichi of everything they used to be.

One step.

_They met in a mere junk outpost when Kazuichi was running from his father, a bastard wanting nothing more than to hurt him. They were young, dumb, and alone, and they agreed to give each other company._

A second step.

_They were wary of each other at first given the fact that they were both total strangers. Oddly enough, Gundham, a total introvert, made the first move of getting to know the other better. Gundham knew Kazuichi was hurt emotionally, mentally, and physically, but he was the first to say that it wasn't beyond repair. When Gundham offered him a chance to start an empire that purged all evil from existence, he accepted. Kazuichi vowed to never let a single soul feel the pain he felt._

Another step.

_Kazuichi built the Eternal's weapons. His civilizations. His ships. His _everything. _He rallied so many followers to carry out his bidding one might even call him the true leader. Gundham saw this, and he was eternally grateful. He bowed before Kazuichi and vowed in turn for his help to never let a soul hurt him._

Another.

_Four years in did feelings finally spark in Kazuichi. He realized how much he loved Gundham. He was kind, just, loyal, chivalrous, honest, and willing to do anything for him. He felt as though there was no other place he'd rather be than with him. He confessed, and Gundham happily reciprocated, knowing no other being to love than his precious Kazuichi._

Another.

_It took three more years for Kazuichi to realize that Gundham wasn't as kind and just as he thought him out to be. Instead of those with evil intensions being purged, everyone and everything was being purged. He snuck into Gundham's private meetings and discovered his plot to gather the Infinity Stones and erase half of the entire universe's population. When he confronted Gundham about it, begging him to explain why he would lie to him, Gundham told him that it was far beyond the vindication of evil. They fought for hours until Kazuichi understood Gundham would not back down. He pretended to agree, and when night came around, he gathered his necessities and fled._

Another.

_Eight more years before they saw each other again._

_Eight years of fun, laughter, happiness, joy, and home. Hajime, Fuyuhiko, and Ibuki were _home.

A final step.

_And it was all for nothing._

He now stood with only an inch of rock under his feet—the only thing saving him from life and death. He gazed up at Gundham imploringly, but he knew it wouldn't matter. Gundham picked him up effortlessly, pulling him into a salty kiss. It made him remember the good times all over again. It also reminded him that this was a nightmare he'd never wake up from. Their lips parted, and Gundham looked at him with sorrowful eyes.

One final tear melted into his lips as he cried, "I trusted you."

Everything moved slowly.

Gundham set him down, backing up to give him room. He fell to his knees, burying his head in his hands, and he cried. Kazuichi was shocked. He slowly approached the titan, crouching down to his height, and he wrapped his arms around him. Gundham leaned into his touch; it was his turn to cover Kazuichi in his tears. "It's okay," Kazuichi cooed.

"It's okay. We're okay. _I'm okay._"

That's what he wanted to happen.

Instead, he closed his eyes as he fell down, down, down the cliff and closer towards the ground.

"This isn't love," he whispered.

And then, everything went black.


End file.
